Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 37:34

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 37:34. Wait on the Lord, and keep his way — This is the true mode of waiting on God which the Scripture recommends; keeping God's way-using all his ordinances, and living in the spirit of obedience. He who waits thus is sure to have the farther blessings of which he is in pursuit. קוה kavah, to wait, implies the extension of a right line from one point to another. The first point is the human heart; the line is its intense desire; and the last point is GOD, to whom this heart extends this straight line of earnest desire to be filled with the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace.

And he shall exalt thee to inherit the land — If ye keep his way, and be faithful to him in your exile, he will exalt you, lift you up from your present abject state, to inherit the land of your fathers. See before, Psalms 37:9; Psalms 100:0; Psalms 37:11, c.

When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.] They did see the destruction of the Babylonish king, Belshazzar, and his empire and it was in consequence of that destruction that they were enlarged.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 37:0 Opposite destinies

This psalm is an acrostic and a wisdom poem. (Concerning acrostics see notes on Psalms 9:0 and 10. Concerning wisdom literature see introductory notes to Job.) Other wisdom poems are found in Psalms 10:14, 19, 49, 73 and 112.

On seeing how wicked people prosper, believers may be tempted to envy them or, worse still, to doubt God’s goodness. The reminder given in this psalm is that no one should judge by outward appearances. The prosperity of worthless people will be shortlived, but the faithfulness of believers will be rewarded (1-4). Believers should therefore not be restless, impatient, or too easily angered when they see the apparent success of the wicked (5-9).
One day all the wicked will be destroyed. The meek will then be the sole possessors of the land (10-11). Lasting prosperity belongs to those who exercise patience and faith, not to those who achieve their selfish goals by wrongdoing. The evil of the wicked will eventually be the cause of their own downfall (12-15).
God will see that those who put spiritual values above material prosperity will, in due course, be materially blessed. But those who put material prosperity before everything else will find that it vanishes like smoke (16-20). Life will have its ups and downs, but through them all God will care for those believers who give generously to others (21-22). They may meet troubles, but God will never desert them. Through their difficulties God will provide for them and enrich their experience of him (23-26).
In the end justice will be done both to those who are good and to those who are bad (27-29). The good people, in God’s sight, are those whose minds are so directed by God’s Word that their speech and behaviour are wise and wholesome. God will not allow the wicked to gain the victory over them (30-34). As a towering cedar tree can be cut down in a few minutes, so those who tyrannize others will be suddenly destroyed (35-36). But God’s goodness protects the godly and saves them in times of trouble (37-40).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

FURTHER MARKS OF THE RIGHTEOUS

“The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell therein forever. The mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom, And his tongue speaketh justice. The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. The wicked watcheth the righteous, And seeketh to slay him. Jehovah will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, And he will exalt thee to inherit the land: When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.”

“The righteous shall inherit the land” Rawlinson pointed out that this same thought, or its equivalent appears in Psalms 37:3; Psalms 37:9; Psalms 37:11; Psalms 37:18; Psalms 37:22; Psalms 37:28; Psalms 37:34.The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8, p. 288.

“The wicked watcheth the righteous to slay him”

“... When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it” We like Yates’ comment on this: “Here are contrasts of retribution. Whereas the wicked now watch for an opportunity to trap the righteous, in the future, the righteous will have their chance to watch. The end of the upright is peace, but the end of the wicked is destruction.”Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 509.

“Nor condemn him when he is judged” This is God’s promise to the effect that human judgments against the righteous are of no account. God is the final arbiter of what is right and wrong; and he will execute justice upon behalf of his people.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Wait on the Lord - See the notes at Psalms 37:9. Let your hope be from the Lord; depend wholly upon Him; have such confidence in Him as to expect His gracious interposition in your behalf.

And keep his way - Or, walk in the path which He commands. Do not turn from that at any thee. Do not allow any temptation, or any opposition, to cause you to swerve from that path.

And he shall exalt thee to inherit the land - See Psalms 37:3, Psalms 37:9,Psalms 37:18.

When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it - This implies that they would certainly be cut off, and that the righteous would be permitted to see the result of a course of righteousness and one of wickedness. It is not necessarily implied that they would have any satisfaction in seeing the punishment of the wicked; but the meaning is, that they would be permitted to live so as to see that one course of life tended to secure the favor of God, and another to incur His displeasure; that there was an advantage in virtue and religion in this life; and the certainty that they would see this is adverted to as a “motive” for leading a life of piety. The result is so sure that a man may, if he live long, see it himself; and the fact that this is so should be an inducement for his leading a holy life. The psalmist proceeds, in Psalms 37:35-36, to illustrate this idea from his own observation.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

34Wait upon Jehovah, and keep his way David again returns to the style of exhortation, in order that the faithful, trusting to God’s promises and sustained by them, may not suffer themselves to be drawn hither and thither by any temptations through devious and sinful ways, but may persevere steadfastly in the service of God. In the first place, he exhorts them to hope and patience, as if he wished them, amidst the tumults and troubles of life, to trust in God, and hold their peace till he again show them his countenance, which for a time he had hid from them. Hence arises, in the second place, another exhortation, that they should not turn aside from the way of the Lord; for wherever hope and patience prevail, they will so restrain the minds of men that they will not break out into any thing unlawful and wicked. It will doubtless be found, that the reason why every man endeavors to promote his own advantage by wicked practices is, that no one depends upon God, or else that he thinks, if fortune do not quickly smile upon him, that it is vain for him to persevere in the practice of equity and uprightness. Moreover, we may learn from this place, that if many, even of the good and the upright, are subjected to poverty, and lead a life of protracted affliction and trial, they suffer their punishment justly, because, so far from being firmly persuaded that it belongs to God as his proper office not only to lift up his servants from the dunghill, but also to bring them forth even from their graves, scarcely one in a hundred of them patiently waits upon God, and continues perseveringly in the right course. Nor is it without good reason that David makes use of the word exalt, that we may know that God often stretches forth his hand to the faithful when they appear to be overwhelmed by the weight of their calamities. He then adds, that the wicked shall perish before the eyes of the godly. If their end were not very different from that of the righteous, the state in which the reprobate now rejoice for a time would easily allure even the best of men to evil. And, indeed, God would make us daily to behold such sights if we had eyes to behold his judgments. And yet, although the whole world were blinded, God does not cease to render a just reward to the wickedness of men; but by punishing them in a more private manner, he withdraws from us that fruit of which our own dulness deprives us.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 37:1-40

Psalms 37:1-40 is an interesting psalm of David in which he begins with the words,

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity ( Psalms 37:1 ).

In verse Psalms 37:7 he also says, "Fret not thyself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devises to pass." In verse Psalms 37:8 , "Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil."

Now a common characteristic of our lives is that of fretfulness. How easy it is to fret over situations. How easy it is to worry. How easy it is to become anxious. And the things that create the fretfulness within my own heart are just these things that are spoken of here: the evildoers, those who are prospering in their wicked devises; the fact that wickedness seems to triumph, evil triumphs over good. These things cause me to fret. And yet, these are the very things that I am told I am not to fret over. God is in control, therefore I am not to fret over the evildoers nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. Why?

Because they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb ( Psalms 37:2 ).

The day of the wicked is short. He is going to be cut off. Therefore, don't be envious of him because, man, he has about had it. Why envy a person that is about ready to get cut off? So don't be envious of the wicked. But rather,

Trust in the LORD, and do good ( Psalms 37:3 );

Put your trust in God. Better to put your trust in the Lord than your confidence in man. God knows your situation. God knows your limitations. God loves you. God will take care of you. Just trust in the Lord. Don't sit there and worry and fret over the situations of your life. Don't fret because it seems like everything is going down the tubes. Just trust in the Lord.

and so shalt thou dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed ( Psalms 37:3 ).

Secondly,

Delight thyself also in the LORD ( Psalms 37:4 );

Have you ever tried to just delight yourself in the Lord? This comes through praise and through times of thanksgiving. So many times I stop and reflect in the goodness of God that He has bestowed upon me. And as I think of God's goodness and as I look upon God's blessings, I just rejoice in the Lord. I just praise Him. I just delight myself in Him. "Oh God, it is so good to walk with You. It is so good to serve You. It is so good to know You. It is so good to be a child of the King. It is so good to have the hope of eternal life." And just delighting myself in the Lord and in the blessings and in the goodness of God is an experience that I indulge in too little. We should be indulging in this much more.

Now, "Delight thyself also in the Lord,"

and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart ( Psalms 37:4 ).

So here is a promise with a condition.

Commit thy way unto the LORD ( Psalms 37:5 );

And this is so important that we come to the place of commitment of our lives and the commitment of the situations of our lives. How important that we learn to just commit our ways into God's hands.

trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass ( Psalms 37:5 ).

Or, the Hebrew word asa, He shall assemble it. He shall bring it into existence. Commit your way, trust in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. And then finally, when you've gotten to the place where you can commit your life and the affairs of your life into God's hands, then you have arrived at the place of that glorious resting in the Lord. "God, I'm just resting in You. Whatever comes, Lord. However. It's in Your hands."

Rest in the LORD ( Psalms 37:7 ),

One of the greatest blessings of the Christian walk in life is to be able to rest in the Lord in the midst of the problems, in the midst of the trials, in the midst of a world of turmoil. Resting in the Lord.

Cease from anger, forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. Because the evildoers are going to be cut off: but they that wait upon the LORD, will inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked are not going to be: in fact, you will diligently consider his place, and it won't be. But the meek shall inherit the eaRuth ( Psalms 37:8-11 );

Jesus in one of the beatitudes said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" ( Matthew 5:5 ).

and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace ( Psalms 37:11 ).

The glorious kingdom that Jesus establishes. A kingdom of righteousness and peace, and the meek will inherit the earth and be delighted with an earth that is filled with peace. Can you imagine? No, I don't suppose we can; we've never experienced it. But an earth that is filled with peace. I go by the school grounds and I see the little kids fighting. Seems like everyone is fighting. So much fighting in this world. What a glorious world it will be when we live together in peace, delighted in the abundance of peace.

The wicked plots against the just, he gnashes upon him with his teeth. The LORD will laugh at him: for he sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, they have bent down their bow, to cast out the poor and the needy, to slay such as be of an upright manner of life. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, their bows shall be broken. For a little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholds the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever ( Psalms 37:12-18 ).

It says concerning Moses that he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Esteeming the riches... or the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. So here we are told that the wicked are going to be cut off. But the inheritance of the upright is eternal.

They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs that are consumed into smoke. The wicked borrows, and he doesn't repay: but the righteous shows mercy, and gives. For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way ( Psalms 37:19-23 ).

How glorious when God orders our steps and God takes delight in our way.

Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD will uphold him with his hand ( Psalms 37:24 ).

Oh, I love this! God is going to lead me in the right path, and if I stumble He is going to pick me up.

I have been young, I am now old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor God's seed begging bread ( Psalms 37:25 ).

If you are a child of God you will never need to beg for food.

He is merciful, he lends, and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; dwell for evermore. For the LORD loves judgment, and forsakes not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it ( Psalms 37:26-34 ).

So several exhortations. From the negative standpoint: fret not, envy not, don't be angry, cease from anger, and forsake wrath. From a positive standpoint: trust in the Lord, delight thy self in the Lord, commit your ways unto the Lord, trust in the Lord, rest in the Lord, and finally, wait on the Lord.

Mark the perfect man [the complete man], and behold the upright: for the result of that kind of life is peace. But the transgressors will be destroyed together: the end of the wicked will be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. The LORD will help them, and deliver them ( Psalms 37:37-40 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 37

This wisdom psalm advances the thought of Psalms 36. Note the mention of doers of iniquity in Psalms 36:12 and the reference to evildoers in Psalms 37:1. Here David urged the righteous not to let the prosperity of the wicked upset them but to continue to trust in God’s justice. Similar encouragements characterize Psalms 49, 73. Here the psalmist used several proverbial expressions to convey his exhortation.

"In a moving way the psalmist deals with the issues of life and death, wisdom and folly, and reward and punishment. He is most sensitive to the question of the future and its rewards and sufferings. The psalmist affirms that the Lord will sustain the righteous and that they will fully enjoy the blessings promised to them. The sage sets before the reader or hearer the highway of wisdom, even as our Lord called on his followers to learn from him the way that pleases our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:2-10)." [Note: VanGemeren, p. 297.]

This is also an acrostic psalm, but in this case each strophe (every other verse) begins with the succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet. A strophe is a logical unit determined by either the subject matter or the structure of the poem.

"This is the most obviously sapiential [having, providing, or expounding wisdom] of all the psalms. Indeed it is a collection of sayings that might easily be found in the book of Proverbs. It appears to be a rather random collection of sayings without any order or development. However, there is an important qualification to that statement, for this psalm is acrostic and so is crafted with pedagogical purpose. That carefully ordered arrangement corresponds to the claim made for the substance of the psalm; that is, the world is exceedingly well ordered, and virtue is indeed rewarded." [Note: Brueggemann, p. 42.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The wicked really tries to overcome God when he sets himself against the righteous. The wicked will inevitably fail because God’s power is much greater than his own. Consequently, the righteous person only needs to wait for God to act for him.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

4. The conflict between the wicked and the righteous 37:32-40

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Wait on the Lord,.... In the way of his appointments and ordinances; where may be learned the design of his providences, and of the prosperity of the wicked, and their end, Psalms 73:16; and in a providential way, for the performance of his promises, in which he never fails; and patiently bear whatever he is pleased to lay upon them; waiting for a deliverance out of every affliction, which will be in his own time. The Chaldee paraphrase

"trust in the word of the Lord;''

and keep his way: which he has pointed out in his word, and has directed his people to walk in; though tempted by Satan to turn aside to the right hand or the left; though wicked men reproach, persecute, and seek to pervert it; and though a narrow and rough way, yet keep constantly in it, in which there are both pleasure and profit; good comes of it, and in it peace is had, and the presence of God enjoyed;

and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: that is, shall raise out of a low and uncomfortable situation of life to a more comfortable one; or however, hereafter, to dwell in the new heavens and new earth, to reign with Christ upon his throne, and to enjoy the eternal inheritance;

when the wicked are cut off; as in Psalms 37:9;

thou shall see [it]; with joy and pleasure; not as exulting: in the destruction of the wicked, simply considered; but as the glory of divine justice is displayed therein; see Psalms 52:5.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.   35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.   36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.   37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.   38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.   39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.   40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

      The psalmist's conclusion of this sermon (for that is the nature of this poem) is of the same purport with the whole, and inculcates the same things.

      I. The duty here pressed upon us is still the same (Psalms 37:34; Psalms 37:34): Wait on the Lord and keep his way. Duty is ours, and we must mind it and make conscience of it, keep God's way and never turn out of it nor loiter in it, keep close, keep going; but events are God's and we must refer ourselves to him for the disposal of them; we must wait on the Lord, attend the motions of his providence, carefully observe them, and conscientiously accommodate ourselves to them. If we make conscience of keeping God's way, we may with cheerfulness wait on him and commit to him our way; and we shall find him a good Master both to his working servants and to his waiting servants.

      II. The reasons to enforce this duty are much the same too, taken from the certain destruction of the wicked and the certain salvation of the righteous. This good man, being tempted to envy the prosperity of the wicked, that he might fortify himself against the temptation, goes into the sanctuary of God and leads us thither (Psalms 73:17); there he understands their end, and thence gives us to understand it, and, by comparing that with the end of the righteous, baffles the temptation and puts it to silence. Observe,

      1. The misery of the wicked at last, however they may prosper awhile: The end of the wicked shall be cut off (Psalms 37:38; Psalms 37:38); and that cannot be well that will undoubtedly end so ill. The wicked, in their end, will be cut off from all good and all hopes of it; a final period will be put to all their joys, and they will be for ever separated from the fountain of life to all evil. (1.) Some instances of the remarkable ruin of wicked people David had himself observed in this world--that the pomp and prosperity of sinners would not secure them from the judgments of God when their day should come to fall (Psalms 37:36; Psalms 37:35): I have seen a wicked man (the word is singular), suppose Saul or Ahithophel (for David was an old man when he penned this psalm), in great power, formidable (so some render it), the terror of the mighty in the land of the living, carrying all before him with a high hand, and seeming to be firmly fixed and finely flourishing, spreading himself like a green bay-tree, which produces all leaves and no fruit; like a native home-born Israelite (so Dr. Hammond), likely to take root. But what became of him? Eliphaz, long before, had learned, when he saw the foolish taking root, to curse his habitation, Job 5:3. And David saw cause for it; for this bay-tree withered away as soon as the fig-tree. Christ cursed: He passed away as a dream, as a shadow, such was he and all the pomp and power he was so proud of. He was gone in an instant: He was not; I sought him with wonder, but he could not be found. He had acted his part and then quitted the stage, and there was no miss of him. (2.) The total and final ruin of sinners, of all sinners, will shortly be made as much a spectacle to the saints as they are now sometimes made a spectacle to the world (Psalms 37:34; Psalms 37:34): When the wicked are cut off (and cut off they certainly will be) thou shalt see it, with awful adorations of the divine justice. The transgressors shall be destroyed together,Psalms 37:38; Psalms 37:38. In this world God singles out here one sinner and there another, out of many, to be made an example in terrorem--as a warning; but in the day of judgment there will be a general destruction of all the transgressors, and not one shall escape. Those that have sinned together shall be damned together. Bind them in bundles, to burn them.

      2. The blessedness of the righteous, at last. Let us see what will be the end of God's poor despised people. (1.) Preferment. There have been times the iniquity of which has been such that men's piety has hindered their preferment in this world, and put them quite out of the way of raising estates; but those that keep God's way may be assured that in due time he will exalt them, to inherit the land (Psalms 37:34; Psalms 37:34); he will advance them to a place in the heavenly mansions, to dignity, and honour, and true wealth, in the New Jerusalem, to inherit that good land, that land of promise, of which Canaan was a type; he will exalt them above all contempt and danger. (2.) Peace, Psalms 37:37; Psalms 37:37. Let all people mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; take notice of him to admire him and imitate him, keep your eye upon him to observe what comes of him, and you will find that the end of that man is peace. Sometimes the latter end of his days proves more comfortable to him than the beginning was; the storms blow over, and he is comforted again, after the time that he was afflicted. However, if all his days continue dark and cloudy, perhaps his dying day may prove comfortable to him and his sun may set in brightness; or, if it should set under a cloud, yet his future state will be peace, everlasting peace. Those that walk in their uprightness while they live shall enter into peace when they die, Isaiah 57:2. A peaceful death has concluded the troublesome life of many a good man; and all is well that thus ends everlastingly well. Balaam himself wished that his death and his last end might be like that of the righteous Numbers 23:10. (3.) Salvation, Psalms 37:39; Psalms 37:40. The salvation of the righteous (which may be applied to the great salvation of which the prophets enquired and searched diligently,1 Peter 1:10) is of the Lord; it will be the Lord's doing. The eternal salvation, that salvation of God which those shall see that order their conversation aright (Psalms 50:23), is likewise of the Lord. And he that intends Christ and heaven for them will be a God all-sufficient to them: He is their strength in time of trouble, to support them under it and carry them through it. He shall help them and deliver them, help them to do their duties, to bear their burdens, and to maintain their spiritual conflicts, help them to bear their troubles well and get good by them, and, in due time, shall deliver them out of their troubles. He shall deliver them from the wicked that would overwhelm them and swallow them up, shall secure them there, where the wicked cease from troubling. He shall save them, not only keep them safe, but make them happy, because they trust in him, not because they have merited it from him, but because they have committed themselves to him and reposed a confidence in him, and have thereby honoured him.